Tie plate



0a. 11, 1932. F. A. PRESTON 1,881,937

TIE PLATE Filed May 13. 1931 I Inflenjz} Wedeab? A. 2 12 01372 Patented Get. 11, 1932 tint-ran as .nnnnnnron A. r'rtnsroiv, or ex s FOREST, iiztniorsgass'ieiioit *r'o THE-,1 83M} v COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A coerce-Arron or .ILLINoIsf v "TIE PLATE I Application. filed May '18,

This invention relates to improvements in tie plates for supporting a'railroad rail in proper position on a cross tie.

It has been customary heretofore to secure the railroad rails to the cross ties by means of fastening devices separate from the tie plates, for example by means of spikes driven into the ties and so located that the heads of the spikes project over the upper edges of the rail base at opposite sides of the rail. When the rails are held in close contact with the crossties, the vertical or'wave movement of the rails impart vertical or pumping movements to the cross ties. In addition to the said pumping movements of the tie the wave movement of the rails imparts a rolling movement tothe cross tie. Said pumping and rolling movements of the ties permit ballast to workbeneath them and thusimp air the alignment and surface of the track. 'lhe vertical or wave motion of the rails tends to withdraw the spikes from the ties and thereby prov1des excessive clearance between the rail base and the heads of the partially withdrawn spikes. Furthermore, any clearance between the base of the rail and the heads of the spikes permits the tie plates to vibrate between the rail base and the tops of the ties. Such vibratory movements of the tie plates are objectionable in that they tend to imbed the plates in the tops of the. ties, therebydamaging the ties and-increasing the clearance between the rail base andthe heads of the rail spikes.

.-The object of the present invention is'to provide an improved tie plate construction which will overcome the above mentionedand other incidental objections encountered in the use of tie plateslin connection with separate rail fastening. devices. In this connection the invention includes the provision of a tie plat-e formed with means which overlie the marginal portion of the rail base at op posite sides of the rail so as to prevent separation of the rail from the plate but which provides for sufiicient movement of the rail relative to the plate to prevent the wave motion of the rail from imparting to the tie the vertical and rolling movements above re ferred to. A specific embodiment of the invention includes a tie plate of the above genwherein 1931. Serial He. sat pas.

cral character'which may be interposed bee tween the rail and a cross tie atany desired location, the initial position of the plate :be ing slightly diagonal with respect to the-opposite edgesof the rail baseand adapted tobe'i rotated about'its vertical axisto move the rail retaining portions of the plate into their normal operative positions.

j The invention is illustrated in oneos'pecific embodiment in the accompanying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a'plan view of arailroadrail in connection with the improved tie pjlate o'f this invention, the tie plate being shown in a position assumed during'the application of the plate to the base portion of the rail.-

Fig. 2 is a plan view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating the tie plate moved into a 'posi tion to engage over opposite upper edgesof' the rail base; and g e 1 g Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the rai-l, taken on line 33 of Fig. 2 illustratingrthe tie plate in its operative position. v H y Referring to Figs. 1 .to 3 inclusive of the" drawing, 10 designatestheibaseportion of a, 73W

railroad rail, ll'one of the crossjtiesand 12 atie plate constructed in accordance with this v invention interposed betweenthe base portion 10 of the rail and the top surface of the tie 11. The tie plate l2 is formed on its upper surface with spaced upstanding shoulders 13 and 14 which entendthe full width of the. I plate and provide abutments for opposite sides of the rail base. The abutment functionof the shoulders preventsanyj substan.- tial lateral movementof the railbase relative to the plate. Each shoulder, 13' and 14, provided with an inwardlyprojecting por tioniadapted to overlie the marginalportion' offthe rail base at oppositesides of thefrail, when the tie plate is inits fully applied posi-; tion. One of the projections is designatedin the drawing by reference numeral 15: and'is' located at one end of the shouldenlgz fllie: other inwardly projecting portion is indic a te ed by the numeral 16 andis located at opposite end of the other shoulder 14. inner edges 17 and 18 of the projections taper longitudinally of the rail and merge into theinner faces 19 and 20 of the sai'dshoulders 19G in the diagonal position shown in Fig.1; In

this position of the plate, the base portion: of the rail may bereadily positioned between the'shoulders 13 and 14, whereupon rotation of the plate about its vertical axis moves the projections 15 and 16 into a position overlying' the marginal upper surfaces of the rail base, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The inner face portionsQl and 22, locatedbenea'th the proj ectionsi15 and 16, are angularly disposed with relation to the inner face pertions 19 and 20 so that when the plate is rotat ed in its applied position, (Fig. 2.) the said 20 face portions 21 and 22 assume a position parallel to the opposite edges of therail base and function as abutments to prevent lateral movement of the rail. 7 secured to the cross tie by means of screws so that the plate will be ieldin close Contact with the tie. I

There are preferably suitable clearances 23 and24 between the under faces of the projections 15 and 16 and the upper faces of the rail base flanges to permit a limited vertical movement of the rail'relative to the tie plate so that the normal wave motion of a rail, during the passage of traflic thereover, will not impart any substantial: vertical or pumping imovement to the cross tie; The said clearances between the rail base andthe projections 15-a'nd 16 at opposite edges of the tie plate permit the rise and fall of the rail at opposite edges of the tie during the wave 1110- tion of the railiwithout imparting any substantial rotational movement to the tie. When the rail is held'in close contact with tne tie,

the wave motion-of the rail (similar to the depression of the rall at one side of the tie andraising it relative to theother edge of the tie) exerts a downward force one ee gev of'the tie and an upward force at the opposite edge of the tie, thereby-imparting a rotation al movement to the tie in-addition-to a vertical or pumping movement. It willbe seen, therefore, that :by providing the shoulders 13 and 14 with inward projections 15 and 16,

the clearances between the said projections and the edge of the railwi'll permit the rigid attachment of the plate to the tie so as to avoid vibratory movement of the plate betweenthe rail base and ties and at the same time prevent the wave motion of the rail from v imparting undersirable movement to the cross tie. The clearances indicated between the/opposite edges of the rail base and the vertical walls of the abutments and 14 are preferably such as to accommodate rail bases of slightly different widths, there beingordinarily slight variations in the width The plate may be and thickness of therails due to the wearing of the rolls used in the manufacture of the rails; Y Y

I claim: a

1. Supporting and retaining means for a railroad rail comprising a plate member in tel-posed between the base of the rail and the rail supporting means of .theroadbed, and having spaced abutments thereon adapt-' ed to engage the full edge thickness of the base flangeto hold the rail against substantial lateral'movement, the plate being soarranged that the abutments, respectively,

standadjacent opposite flanges of the rail 7 base, and inwardly projecting meansformed 'movement of said tie plate relative to the said rail base; said inwardly projecting means being normally spaced from the said upper surfaces of the ra1l base flanges to permit limited verticalmovementof the rail relative to the tie plate when. the latter its operative position. 3. A tie plate for retaininga rail is in ment relative to the plate and comprising a plate formed with spaced shoulders. provid-' ing' abutments adapted toengage the full edge thickness of opposite flanges of the' rail base; each shoulder being formed with angularly disposed inner faces which converge toward the middle of the plate, an inwardlyprojecting portion at one end of the shoulder, the inner edge of which merges. into the plane of the angularly disposed inner face at the other end of said. shoulder; the said inwardly projectingportions being disposed out of alignment transversely ofthe rail and the inner edges of the said portion being parallel to each other, whereby movement of the plate to 'a diagonal position moves the inner edges. of said inwardly projecting portions intoparallel position with l18 opposite edges of the rail base to permit insertion of'said rail base between said projecting portions and whereby movement of the plate toward a'position perpendicular to the rail moves said projecting portions into positions overlying the rail base,

FREDERICKA. PRESTON.

in position with capacity for limited vertical move a 

